I'm a technical savvy IT consultant with more than 10 years experience. I have dealt with automotive software for more than 5 years with various clients. Some of my perspective is based on that. I drive a diesel car currently and I plan to keep it as long as possible.
Depending on where you live, EV's may range from moderately practical to unrealistic. I travel to many countries frequently and have lived across APAC including India.
If you talk about a country like Singapore, which is very small in real estate (literally called a tiny red "dot"), sure. EV's are quite reasonable, also somewhat practical. It's good for daily commute or going around the island, sure.
If you talk about a country like India, then, it's highly impractical to own one. First, you need proper infrastructure across such a massive land area, which by itself could take decades to get right (currently, India doesn't have them). Then, you need to factor in the populace and thus the long queues you're going to be facing in the public charging spots.
Because India is such a vast country, if you wanted to travel from the southern most point of the country to the topmost (Kanyakumari to Kashmir), it's going to be impossible with just an EV and relying on public charging points. The charging time alone would add up quite quickly over such a long duration.
I do a quarter of that stretch frequently - Banglore to Kanyakumari or sometimes even from Chennai. It takes me 8 hours on an average including a 1 hour meal break. And the fuel stations are just so easily accessible across this entire stretch.
It costs me just $50 for one way and $70 for a 2 way journey of about 700-800 kms. If I was driving an EV, the best range I can get is about 250 kms (based on the options available in India and not quoting optimistic manufacturer ratings, but based on real world traffic conditions in India) on my Hyundai Kona. Charging to 80% takes about an hour. If you do the math, I'm going to be spending 3 hours just on charging alone. The cost for charging is also much more expensive compared to what I'm going to be spending on oil. It's a clear cut decision for me, especially when I have to travel long distances.
And I'm not even factoring the risk of what happens if my car breaks down in the middle of the highway, which a local mechanic will have no idea on how to fix. During my work experience, I have audited some of the code for some popular manufacturers out there. EV cars are actually not about battery tech, it's about software. They run basically everything from a software "engine". That actually scares me, especially because I'm a software engineer. The modern EV has a lot of things going down under the hood. This is so unlike my Suzuki diesel which is simply an old school car with a battle-tested ECU (the same ECU is reused across many models, manufacturers for decades now) made by Bosch. The code in there is very simple and doesn't try to do a lot. It takes care of firing the pistons at the right time, making sure the turbocharger doesn't overwork, it takes care of the locks and alarms in the car and that's about it.
It doesn't do all the "smart" stuff that a modern EV does. Like talk to the manufacturer telling them where I am exactly. Or when I should service my car. Or what playlists I would enjoy listening to. The infotainment system on my Suzuki is separate, for instance. There is no software "engine".
As someone who prefers dumb speaker systems and TVs instead of "smart" speakers and TVs, I prefer regular, old-school cars than the modern "smart" EVs. If they made a dumb EV, for sure, I'd go for it for my city use, but it still doesn't meet my criteria for long distance travel as explained above.
This is why I consider EV's highly impractical FOR ME.
And this argument about "let's burn stuff" - did you know many charging points consume power off the grid, especially in India? And many people like me who own the Kona, actually carry around a portable Honda generator in our boot (which runs off petrol) which can charge the car for worse case situations.
> What's disappointing is that all the talking points are the same-old tired fossil fuel propaganda from a decade ago.
My point is, we are not there yet and we have to acknowledge that. You can't cast judgement on the rest who don't use an EV simply because it's not practical for them. That's elitist. EV's aren't necessarily "better" for everyone.
Depending on where you live, EV's may range from moderately practical to unrealistic. I travel to many countries frequently and have lived across APAC including India.
If you talk about a country like Singapore, which is very small in real estate (literally called a tiny red "dot"), sure. EV's are quite reasonable, also somewhat practical. It's good for daily commute or going around the island, sure.
If you talk about a country like India, then, it's highly impractical to own one. First, you need proper infrastructure across such a massive land area, which by itself could take decades to get right (currently, India doesn't have them). Then, you need to factor in the populace and thus the long queues you're going to be facing in the public charging spots. Because India is such a vast country, if you wanted to travel from the southern most point of the country to the topmost (Kanyakumari to Kashmir), it's going to be impossible with just an EV and relying on public charging points. The charging time alone would add up quite quickly over such a long duration.
I do a quarter of that stretch frequently - Banglore to Kanyakumari or sometimes even from Chennai. It takes me 8 hours on an average including a 1 hour meal break. And the fuel stations are just so easily accessible across this entire stretch. It costs me just $50 for one way and $70 for a 2 way journey of about 700-800 kms. If I was driving an EV, the best range I can get is about 250 kms (based on the options available in India and not quoting optimistic manufacturer ratings, but based on real world traffic conditions in India) on my Hyundai Kona. Charging to 80% takes about an hour. If you do the math, I'm going to be spending 3 hours just on charging alone. The cost for charging is also much more expensive compared to what I'm going to be spending on oil. It's a clear cut decision for me, especially when I have to travel long distances.
And I'm not even factoring the risk of what happens if my car breaks down in the middle of the highway, which a local mechanic will have no idea on how to fix. During my work experience, I have audited some of the code for some popular manufacturers out there. EV cars are actually not about battery tech, it's about software. They run basically everything from a software "engine". That actually scares me, especially because I'm a software engineer. The modern EV has a lot of things going down under the hood. This is so unlike my Suzuki diesel which is simply an old school car with a battle-tested ECU (the same ECU is reused across many models, manufacturers for decades now) made by Bosch. The code in there is very simple and doesn't try to do a lot. It takes care of firing the pistons at the right time, making sure the turbocharger doesn't overwork, it takes care of the locks and alarms in the car and that's about it. It doesn't do all the "smart" stuff that a modern EV does. Like talk to the manufacturer telling them where I am exactly. Or when I should service my car. Or what playlists I would enjoy listening to. The infotainment system on my Suzuki is separate, for instance. There is no software "engine".
As someone who prefers dumb speaker systems and TVs instead of "smart" speakers and TVs, I prefer regular, old-school cars than the modern "smart" EVs. If they made a dumb EV, for sure, I'd go for it for my city use, but it still doesn't meet my criteria for long distance travel as explained above.
This is why I consider EV's highly impractical FOR ME.
And this argument about "let's burn stuff" - did you know many charging points consume power off the grid, especially in India? And many people like me who own the Kona, actually carry around a portable Honda generator in our boot (which runs off petrol) which can charge the car for worse case situations.
> What's disappointing is that all the talking points are the same-old tired fossil fuel propaganda from a decade ago.
My point is, we are not there yet and we have to acknowledge that. You can't cast judgement on the rest who don't use an EV simply because it's not practical for them. That's elitist. EV's aren't necessarily "better" for everyone.